


Ignite

by astrogirl91



Category: Chris Evans (actor) - Fandom
Genre: Actor Chris Evans, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bearded Chris Evans, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Love, POV Third Person, Romance, Smut, Sub Chris Evans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:21:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26211841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrogirl91/pseuds/astrogirl91
Summary: Part seven of an ongoing romance series about Chris Evans and Dodger's groomer, Brianna Walsh (OFC). Sequel to Snowed In. Contains explicit sexual content and some alcohol use.
Relationships: Chris Evans (Actor)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	Ignite

**Author's Note:**

> This part got really angsty again, so for those of you who enjoy that I think you'll really like this one! It also contains a mention of Chris and drug use which is just creative license and not a fact, plus some opinions that don't necessarily reflect my own, but were written because I've always tried my best to make Bree a fleshed out and unique character instead of a Mary Sue. I hope you enjoy reading! :)

“So do you know what tomorrow is?” Chris grinned as he picked up the bottle of wine at their table and topped off Brianna's glass.

They were seated in a secluded corner of a local romantic Italian eatery, finally enjoying a date night out on the town again – something they had only occasionally indulged in before. In the month since they had taken their relationship public, their privacy within Concord remained mostly in tact, although the media frenzy from Chris' bombshell tweet resulted in dozens of frantic phone calls from his publicist – who nearly fainted when he dropped on her that he had not only been secretly seeing someone for months, but was suddenly engaged as well.

His mentions on Twitter were flooded with proclamations of heartbreak, and dozens of tabloid articles popped up overnight. The public was desperate to know who the mysterious Brianna was, how long it had been going on, how serious they were – but Chris remained tight-lipped. He all but ignored his publicity team, and hadn't even logged into his Twitter account since New Year's Eve.

Brianna took a sip, then smiled. “No, what is it?”

“It's exactly eight months that we've been together – and in three more months, it'll be two years since you started grooming Dodger and we first met.”

She giggled. “I can't believe you're still keeping track.”

“Of course I am.”

Brianna leaned over and kissed him. “You truly are a cheesy hopeless romantic.” She ran her hand through his recently sheared hair; he had cut it in anticipation of filming starting in just a few months' time. Although she missed the long shaggy locks, Brianna couldn't deny his new short yet fluffy cut had quickly become another favorite of hers.

Chris smiled at her. “I got you a little something to celebrate.” He reached into the inner pocket of his blazer, pulled out a small black box, and placed it before her on the table.

She sighed. “I'm starting to feel like a kept woman. You know you don't need to buy me something every month, right?”

“I know, but why shouldn't I? You deserve it, and it's not like I can't afford to spoil you.”

“You're too good to me. Thank you, babe.” Brianna kissed him again, then opened the box, revealing a pair of round garnet earrings encircled by diamonds. She beamed at him. “They're beautiful.”

“I'm glad you like them, sweetie. I thought maybe they'd go well with that black dress you showed me – the one with the open back and the lace sleeves.”

She grinned. “So you've finally warmed up to the idea of me wearing a black wedding dress?”

He chuckled. “Well, I still prefer your initial idea of Aurora's blue dress, but I can't tell you what to wear, and you'll look gorgeous no matter what.” Chris kissed her tenderly, then paused. “Don't you think it's gonna look a little out of place, though? I mean, we decided to get married at Disney World of all places.”

“Yeah, and we're having a Haunted Mansion themed wedding, so why would a black dress be out of place?”

Chris chuckled. “Okay, you've got me there.”

She smirked. “You just wanted the fairy tale theme instead so you could dress up like Prince Phillip, didn't you?”

“I still could.” He grinned.

Brianna laughed. “Maybe just stick with the velvet burgundy tux you've been thinking about.”

Chris picked up her left hand and kissed the back of it, then stroked her bare ring finger with his thumb; she didn't feel comfortable wearing her ring in public yet and had left it at home for the night, which Chris couldn't blame her for. He missed the sight of it on her finger, but he agreed with her in wanting to keep that part of their relationship a secret for a little while longer. Aside from his family and a select group of close friends, not a soul in the world knew about their betrothal.

He smiled at her. “That day can't get here soon enough.”

“I was thinking we could announce our engagement later this year, and set a wedding date after that. I'd like it to be in October next year.”

“That's such a long time to be engaged,” Chris said quietly with a sigh.

“I told you I don't want us to get married right away. We need to be patient. I want to be Mrs. Evans just as much as you want me to, but I don't want to rush. I'm going to do this right, because I'm only doing this once...and only with _you_.” She squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring smile.

Chris kissed her hand again. “You're right, sweetie. I agree with you, I'm just being impatient. I know it's not a bad thing to wait a while.” He chuckled. “Besides, we'll need to give them plenty of advance notice to close the parks to the public, so we can have the entire place to ourselves on our wedding day.”

Brianna laughed. “I love your optimism, but they're not gonna shut down all of Disney World just for a wedding. I don't think that's possible, babe.”

“It can be for the right amount. Money talks, especially to Mr. Mouse. I would know – I used to work for him.” He grinned.

Just as Brianna giggled and kissed his cheek, their moment was interrupted.

“Um...hi.” A soft voice spoke suddenly. They looked over and saw a teenage girl walking up to them, nervously smiling and wringing her hands.

“Shit,” Chris said under his breath, then forced a tight smile. “Can I help you?”

“Um, yeah, I just...uh, I wasn't expecting to see you here, and I'm such a huge fan and I'd love it if I could get a selfie with you.”

Brianna gave him a small smile. “Go on, babe. Be nice,” she said quietly.

He smiled sadly and sighed. “Alright, yeah. That's fine.” He stood up and placed a hand on the girl's upper back. She bounced slightly in excitement, pulled out her phone, and snapped a quick selfie. “Thank you!” She squeaked before running off.

“That wasn't so bad, was it?” Brianna smiled.

Chris sighed. “It's not, I just...I don't mind when that happens if I'm alone, but with you...I don't know. I don't like us being interrupted.”

“That's the first time it's ever happened while we're out in public, though.”

“I know, and that's why it bothers me. I put a giant target on my back again when we announced we're together. I haven't said anything about it because I didn't want to worry you, but I've felt more stares when I leave the house now than I have in years. I've never seen that girl around before, so I know she's not from here. I can tell people are coming in from other towns just to look for us, to see where we are and what we're doing. All of a sudden I'm a big fuckin' deal again, and I...I dragged you into it too.” He clenched his jaw and looked down. “I'm sorry, sweetie. I was so stupid to think it was a good idea. All I did was throw you to the wolves.”

She placed her hand over his. “No, you didn't. We had to do it eventually. I'm sure everything will calm down soon...I hope so, anyway.”

Chris squeezed her hand. “Let's just get out of here.”

“But the movie doesn't start for another hour.”

He smiled sadly. “I don't know about you, but I think I'm more in the mood now for watching something at home instead.”

Brianna nodded. “Okay. I just need to stop at the ladies' room first.”

As Chris paid their bill, she made her way through the small restaurant to the restroom in the back. When she opened the door, she came face to face with the same teenage girl who had interrupted them.

“Oh, sorry,” Brianna said as she stepped aside and held the door open. The girl stared at her in amazement and didn't move.

“Hi,” she said breathlessly.

“Uh...hi.” Brianna gave her a small smile as she squeezed past her into the restroom. The girl turned around and stepped in front of her.

“Can I ask you something? What's he like? Chris, I mean. What's it like being with him?”

“What?”

“What's it like being his girlfriend? Is he as good in bed as they say he is?”

“Excuse me?” Brianna stared at her in offense.

She laughed nervously. “Sorry to be nosy, it's just you seem nice, and I thought you'd be cool with answering questions. I mean, you understand, because you were once a fan too, right? That's what everyone is saying – you were a fan who met him at a nightclub. Is that true? You're _so_ lucky you get to be with him. I'm so jealous of you. I mean, I'm happy for you, but I hate you a little bit. You're kinda pretty too. Not as pretty as some of his other girlfriends were, but you know, still pretty enough. What do you do? How did you meet him? God, he is _so_ fucking hot. I wish I could have dated him and...”

The girl continued yammering on. Her words were drowned out by the sound of Brianna's blood rushing. Anger and disbelief at the gall of this child flooded her – as did anxiety. Her chest tightened, tears filled her eyes, and she suddenly felt as if the walls of the small room were closing in on her.

“I have to go,” Brianna blurted out, then rushed away from the girl and out of the restaurant. She started running down the sidewalk, not even knowing if she was heading in the correct direction of where their car was parked.

“Bree! Bree, wait!” Chris saw her bolt out of the restaurant and ran to catch up with her. He gently grabbed her arm, then helped her into her coat; she hadn't even realized she ran into the frosty night air without it, and her knit turtleneck did nothing to shield her from the cold. She shivered.

Chris wrapped her in his arms and rubbed her back to help warm her. “What's wrong, sweetheart?”

Brianna buried her face in the scarf around his neck and quietly cried. “That girl was waiting for me in the restroom.”

He sighed in aggravation. “Jesus fuckin' Christ, you gotta be kidding me.”

“She just bombarded me with a bunch of questions, she wouldn't stop talking. She wouldn't just...leave me alone. Now I know what it's felt like for you all these years.”

Chris clenched his jaw, tears of frustration and sadness filling his eyes. He squeezed her tightly. “I'm going to quit. I'll do this next movie, but after that, I'm done.”

“No, don't babe. I won't-”

“I've made up my mind. I can't let this bullshit hurt you. It's already upsetting you, and it's only going to get worse. I promised I would protect you as much as I could, and I meant it. If this is what it takes for me to do that, then so be it.” He sighed, then kissed her forehead and brushed her tears away with his fingertips. “I'm so sorry, Bree. Let's just go home.”

***

Chris walked into the living room where Brianna was stretched out on the sofa, reading a novel with Dodger at her feet.

“Hey sweetie, I'm going out tonight.” He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously.

She looked up from her book, set it aside, and sat up. “Are you gonna take Ethan and Miles to Chuck E. Cheese again for another 'Uncle Chris is the fucking coolest uncle ever' night out?”

Chris laughed quietly. “Uh...no. Far from it, actually. One of my buddies is turning forty this weekend, and he's hitting the midlife crisis hard. He wants to have what he's calling his nineteenth twenty-first birthday party.”

Brianna raised an eyebrow at him.

“It means he wants to party until dawn and get completely shitfaced and no girls are invited.”

She laughed. “That does sound like a midlife crisis. Well...okay. Can you be back home _before_ dawn?”

He sat down beside her on the sofa, smiled, and kissed her forehead. “Of course.”

Brianna eyed him suspiciously. “What else is there?”

“Huh? Nothing.”

“No, there's something. I can tell. You look way too anxious for someone who's just going out to a birthday party, and I get the feeling you're basically asking me for permission.”

Chris sighed. “Yeah, there is something else. Going to his favorite bar will just be the first stop of the night. He also wants to tear through every strip club in Boston. With the way he drinks I don't think we'll get to more than one, but...I just want you to know that's also gonna be part of tonight.”

“Oh.” Brianna stiffened up and looked away. Awkward silence hung in the air for several moments. She crossed her arms. “Okay, it's fine.”

“No, it's not. 'It's fine' is what women always say when it is definitely _not_ fine.”

She looked at him, and he could see the annoyance in her eyes – as well as worry.

He sighed. “I'll tell him I'm not going.”

“No, don't.”

“Why not? You're obviously not okay with it, and I don't want us to fight.”

“We're not going to fight. I don't want you to give in just to avoid us talking about it. That's only gonna make you resent me.”

“There's nothing to talk about. You obviously don't want me to be around half-naked women, even though you know I'm not into that anymore.”

“If you're not into it, then why not just come home after leaving the bar instead of going to a strip club too?”

“Because it's what _he_ wants to do. We've been friends since high school, and he can be a real douchebag sometimes, but I still love him and want to celebrate with him.”

She looked down, wringing her hands in her lap. “You're not gonna be doing coke tonight too, are you?”

“Oh my God, Bree, are you serious with that question? No, I'm not! You know I never even did that more than a few times.”

Brianna raised an eyebrow and looked at him knowingly.

He blushed. “Okay, it was more than a few times. But I haven't even thought about touching that shit since I left LA! I'm over it. I'm too old for all of the partying and drugs bullshit.”

“But you're going to a party tonight, so how can I not be worried? What if someone just shows up with that stuff and you're tempted again?”

He sighed in aggravation and stood up from the sofa. “Fuck it, I'm not going.”

Brianna grasped his hand and pulled on him gently to stop him from walking away. “I'm sorry. I know I need to trust you.”

Chris sat back down, took her face into his hands, and looked at her seriously. “ _I promise you_ I'm not going to do anything stupid that would hurt you. I'm only going to have some drinks with one of my oldest friends, catch up with the guys I haven't seen in a while, and laugh at all the amateur drunks in the club. Okay? And I'll be back well before sunrise.”

She sighed and gave him a sad smile. “Can you also promise me you're not gonna have other girls hanging all over you? I'm sorry, I just...” Brianna pulled away from him and looked down, her eyes filling with tears. “I just haven't been feeling super great about myself lately. I don't know why, but I don't feel attractive...and I'm scared more than I've ever been about losing you. That girl at the restaurant last week made me realize just how many of them would jump on you at the first opportunity, and that freaks me the fuck out. I don't want to even think of another woman touching you and giving you ideas and-”

Chris cut her off with a kiss and pulled her into his lap. He held her tightly against him with one arm, and with his free hand brushed away the stray tears falling down her cheeks. “Stop that. I love you, Bree. I don't want anyone else but you for the rest of my life, and nothing is gonna make me change my mind – otherwise you wouldn't be wearing that ring on your finger. Please trust me.” He kissed her tenderly. “And you're _gorgeous_ , whether you believe it or not. The only wandering my eyes will do is back to your perfect ass.” He smiled at her as she laughed quietly.

“Okay.” Brianna gave him a gentle kiss. “Before sunrise?”

“Before sunrise.” Chris held up his pinky, and she looped her own around his. “I promise.”

***

“One more shot, dude. Come on!”

Chris' head was spinning, and the floor swayed beneath his feet. “Fuck... _fuck_...” He groaned as he leaned on the bar and covered his face with his hands, readying himself for the fact that he was going to regret every drop of liquor by the time morning came. “I shouldn't, but okay! Fuck it. You only turn forty once, right?”

“But you're not the one turning forty, asshole,” his friend said as he stumbled and wrapped an arm around Chris' shoulders – a gesture he returned.

“But I will be soon enough!” They balanced on each other as they both took another shot of whiskey.

“I love you so much, bro. Thank you for coming.”

“No, thank _you_ for coming...to reach forty, because if you hadn't, we wouldn't be here tonight!” Chris laughed as they both sank down onto the nearest bar stools.

“Hey, bro, your missus is really fucking cool to let you come tonight. I didn't even tell my fuckin' wife we'd be here.”

Chris laughed as he sipped his beer – spilling some of it onto his shirt on the first attempt – and took one final drag on his cigarette. “Bree is so fuckin' awesome, man. Perfect, absolutely perfect. She's not the missus _yet_ , but I can't wait until she is. Unlike you, I actually _want_ to be married!”

“I want to be married too! Just not all the time.”

As they sat hunched over the bar laughing with the rest of their equally wasted male pack swarming around them, a pair of the club's dancers approached.

Chris put up his hand. Despite his drunken stupor, he still hadn't forgotten to keep his promise to Brianna. “No, ladies. The answer is still no. I _do not_ want any lap dances.”

“Oh, that's okay, we just want to ask you for a selfie. We didn't realize Captain America is here until now!” The two girls – barely legal, by the looks of it – giggled and eyed him lustily.

He sighed in annoyance, and gave them a strained smile. The first thought that came to mind was Brianna – but he figured if it was just a selfie, it didn't count as other women pawing at him like she had been worried about. Displeasing someone for denying them a simple gesture of kindness – and his publicist tearing out her hair if word spread he had been rude to fans – were things he didn't want to deal with when he would already be nursing a brutal hangover.

“Alright, but _please_ don't post this anywhere online.”

“We won't!” Both girls pulled phones out of their skimpy lingerie tops and latched onto him. One of them sat on his lap without asking; the other grabbed his abs and nestled her head affectionately against his shoulder. He forced a smile as the girls snapped multiple pictures, ending with a shot of both of them kissing him on the cheek before they sauntered off. His stomach sank as he realized that his effort to be nice had just resulted in breaking one of his promises to Brianna.

“Fuck, I _really_ hope they don't post that shit,” he muttered.

“Dude, fuck you,” his friend said with a laugh. “They didn't even look at me – and it's _my_ birthday party, not yours! I guess I'm never gonna get that kinda action again. I'm too old and fat now.”

“Trust me, bro, it's not as cool as it seems,” Chris said as he wrapped his arm around his buddy's shoulders. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and pulled it out to see a text message from Brianna, the first one she had sent him all night: _Hey babe, I hope you've been having fun. Just wondering if you'll be home soon._

As he read the message, Chris also noticed the time on his phone – 4:17 AM.

“Oh, fuck _. Fuck!”_ He panicked, not having checked the time in hours as he had grown progressively drunker. “I gotta go, man.”

“What? Why?”

“It's late. Like, _way_ late. I told Bree I'd be home before dawn.”

“Why the fuck would you do that?”

“Because I love her, asshole.”

“But it's not dawn yet.”

“I know, but it's still _before_ dawn. I gotta get home. I love you, man. See you later.” Chris gave him a hug goodbye, then headed out of the club and called a ride home. He passed out as soon as he stumbled into the taxi, then suddenly he was being shaken awake by the driver, parked at the end of the driveway. His head was already splitting, and he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that Brianna was going to be furious. He didn't know why, but he just knew something was about to go wrong.

Chris pulled the rest of the cash out of his wallet to pay the driver and staggered to the porch – cursing and nearly slipping on the ice coating the stone pathway – as the sky was starting to brighten. The house was dead silent as he walked through the front door, unlocking it as quietly as he could; he saw from down the hall that the bedroom door was closed. Not wanting to wake Brianna, he slowly made his way over to the living room – balancing on the walls with one hand to keep his unsteady, liquor-filled body still standing – then fell onto the nearest sofa and passed out again.

***

Chris awoke to the sensation of a cold nose and a hot, wet tongue frantically licking every inch of his face. He placed a hand on Dodger's neck and stroked his silky fur as the mutt greeted him enthusiastically; he had a feeling that Dodger was the only one in the house happy to see him.

The mutt gave him one final slimy lick to ensure he was fully awake, then bounded away to chew on his beloved stuffed lion, leaving Chris to fend for himself. He groaned and rubbed his face as he sat up, his head pounding and stomach churning.

When he opened his eyes he saw a tall glass of water, a bottle of ibuprofen, and a plate of plain toast on the coffee table. Waves of guilt washed over him; despite not keeping his promises to her, Brianna was still showing him the utmost love and care. He ate a few bites of toast to calm his stomach and took two ibuprofen, then downed the entire glass of water.

“Bree?” He called out. There was no response as he made his way through the house. “Bree, you here?” Chris walked into the bedroom and saw she was under the covers in bed, curled up on her side and reading a book. He looked at the clock on the nightstand; the time showed it was nearly two in the afternoon.

Chris took off his sneakers, jeans, cardigan, and the alcohol-stained tee he had slept in, crawled into bed next to her, and kissed her cheek. She shrank away from him – only slightly, but enough to hit him in the heart.

He sighed sadly. “I'm sorry.”

She was silent for several moments. “Go back to sleep, or at least go take a shower. You still reek of booze and cigarettes.” Her voice was thin, and he could tell without even looking at her face that she had been crying.

“Bree, I'm so sorry. I know I said I'd be home before dawn and I wasn't. I drank way too much, I just lost track of-”

Brianna abruptly sat up, slammed her book onto the nightstand, and got out of bed. She looked at him, and he finally saw her red raw eyes. “I would be irritated if you had only gotten too drunk and came home too late, but that's not why I'm _fucking pissed off_.”

He stared at her in confusion. “Then what is it?”

She grabbed her phone from the nightstand, tapped on it a few times, and tossed it to him. He picked it up and looked at the screen.

“Fuck...God fucking damn it.” Chris sighed in aggravation – at what he was looking at, as well as his own disappointment in himself. The dancers had lied about not posting their photos with him, and over the past several hours they had spread to several celebrity news outlets, as well as fan sites dedicated to tracking his every move. The comments were filled with furious fangirls accusing him of still being nothing but a manwhore, and he was terrified to even look at his own phone to see the number of missed calls and text messages his publicist had surely sent him – as well as his mother. The thought of the tongue-lashing he knew he would be receiving from her in particular made him break into a cold sweat.

Brianna crossed her arms and stared at him, her eyes filled with both rage and sorrow.

He set the phone down and got out of bed. “I don't know what to say, other than I'm so sorry. I fucked up.”

“Yes, you did. You fucking betrayed my trust, _and_ you've humiliated me – humiliated _us_. I didn't even need to search for those pictures, they're everywhere now. Twitter shoved them in my face when I was just trying to watch a video of some cute baby cows.”

Chris reached towards her, and she stepped away. “Don't touch me,” she snapped.

He noticed then that she wasn't wearing her engagement ring; his heart sank. “Bree...I'm sorry. I truly am.”

“Sorry isn't good enough for me right now.” Her eyes welled up. “You knew how much _that_ especially was going to hurt me.”

“They asked for selfies, I wasn't expecting them to hang all over me like that. They didn't even ask if they could touch me. I was so fucking drunk, and I didn't think they would actually post them. I was a dumbass.”

She laughed bitterly. “Yes, you are.” The tears in her eyes finally spilled, unable to be fought back any longer. Chris felt his heart crack at the sight of the anguish he had caused her, and he knew he would never be able to forgive himself for it.

“I've sacrificed a lot for you,” Brianna spoke after several moments of awkward silence. “I moved out of my house to live here with you, I shut down my business to have more time for you, and I gave up my privacy for _you_ – and this is how you show me your thanks for all that I've done?”

“That's not fair, Bree,” Chris said quietly, trying to hold back his own tears. “I never demanded you do any of that for me.”

“But they were all things I knew you wanted.”

“They were, but I still didn't force you to do any of it! Those were all choices _you_ wanted to make.”

“Yes, but for _you_ , Chris!”

He scoffed as he felt his temper start to rise – aggravation brought on by the need to defend his position, but also by his own disappointment in himself for hurting her at all. “So it's my fault? _You_ said you wanted to quit grooming dogs, you said yes when I asked you to move in – _and_ marry me, I might add – and you agreed to stop hiding our relationship. I know a lot has changed for you recently, and I'm doing the best I can to make everything easier. I'm sorry it's been tougher than you expected, but stop trying to pin all the blame on me!”

Brianna's face flushed red. “Okay, fine. You're right, but you could at least still show some fucking appreciation for me doing all of that. I didn't do it just for me, I did it because I also wanted to make you happy. I always want to make you happy, but I'm not going to be a fucking doormat. I do _a lot_ for you all the time that you don't seem to notice lately, and I'm already sick of it. You didn't even thank me for making dinner the other night!”

Chris sighed. “I was _exhausted_. I'm sorry I forgot to thank you, it just slipped my mind! You knew I was gone for sixteen fuckin' hours that day, between that miserable 5:00 AM flight to New York City and meetings with the producers all damn day – and then I had to spend the entire flight home pretending to be nice to that jackass I got stuck next to who would not shut the fuck up about why I should return to Marvel. You should just be glad I was able to do some work in New York and come home to you at the end of the day, instead of having to fly to LA for it and be gone for an entire week.”

He sighed again and clenched his jaw. “Besides, it's not like you cooked anything extravagant that night anyway,” Chris muttered.

“ _What?”_ She stared at him in offended disbelief.

“Nothing. Never mind.” He winced, already regretting his retort and knowing he only made the situation worse.

“You should be grateful I cook anything for you at all! I take care of the house and Dodger _and_ you all the fucking time. I even left that stuff on the coffee table for your hangover because I want to take care of you, despite the fact you broke my trust with your fucking stupidity. Who else still would have done that for you after you hurt them so much?”

Chris felt another stab in his heart. “I know you did, and thank you for that. I don't deserve it at all, but I appreciate it, Bree. I appreciate _you,_ and everything you do for me. I really do.”

She looked down, nodding slightly as she absorbed what he was saying – then she crossed her arms and stared at him defiantly, the hurt and angry tears returning to her eyes. “Although I wouldn't have had to do that if you just kept your promise to me, and came home before you got completely wasted and let a bunch of fucking sluts grope you.”

His neck and face flushed red with anger. The frustration of nothing he said getting through her stubbornness finally flared up his temper, but the fact he had disappointed and hurt her so deeply was suddenly too much to bear.

“Will you just fucking let it go?! I know I fucked up! God, how many fucking times do you want me to say _I'm sorry_ before you believe me?!” He yelled at her.

The angry crimson flush on her own face deepened as she grabbed her phone off the bed and threw it at him. He ducked down, narrowly avoiding being hit in the face by it; the phone smacked into the wall behind him, shattering the screen.

“You are such a fucking asshole!” Brianna screamed at him.

“Yes, I am!” Chris rushed towards her, grabbed her waist, and pushed her back into the nearest wall. He pressed his entire body against hers, pinning her in place as he kissed her hard on the mouth. She squirmed and tried to pull away from him, but only for a few moments. Her body relaxed and she leaned into his kiss – parting her lips and stroking his tongue with her own, her mouth moving hungrily against his in a mixture of anger and desire.

Chris slowly broke their kiss and stroked the side of her face with his fingertips as he gazed at her. “I'm just an asshole, and I don't deserve you, but I'm still _yours_. Only yours. How can I make you let this go?”

She looked at him sternly for several moments, visibly thinking. “ _Never_ do it again. No matter what.”

“Done. I'll never go back to a place like that, no matter how much any of my idiot friends want to go. I promise.”

Brianna narrowed her eyes at him. “And prove to me that you're _mine_.”

He grabbed her hand and placed it between them on his cock, already half-hard simply from kissing her. “You feel that, sweetie? It's only for you. There's no other woman – no _slut_ – who makes me hard like you do. There's your proof.”

“No, it's not. I need more than that.” She smirked at him as she groped his cock and grasped his balls roughly.

He winced at her tight hold on him, then smirked back at her. “You can be an absolute fucking bitch sometimes. You know that, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I love it. I love _you_. I love you for refusing to put up with my bullshit. Don't you dare ever stop.”

“Oh, believe me, I won't.” She pushed on his chest, backing him up until they reached the end of the bed, and shoved him down onto it.

“What do you want, sweetie? What do you want me to do to make you believe I'm yours?”

She took off her pajama pants and tossed them aside. “Shut up and let me fuck you. Let me ride your cock until you're raw and I've cum so many times I can't take it anymore. That's how.”

“Do it, sweetheart. Use me for whatever you want.”

Brianna yanked his boxers down, straddled him, and immediately slid onto his cock; her ferocity and dominance had made him rock hard within seconds. He moaned at the sensation of her pussy – already soaked just for him – enveloping his entire length with its hot grip.

She planted her hands on his chest and kept him pinned against the bed as she began to ride him, whimpering and moaning and digging her nails into his bare pecs while she used his body for everything she needed. Chris watched her in awe; her movements were rough, fast, and ungraceful, yet stunningly beautiful – fueled by her residual pent up rage, as well as their insatiable desire for one another which never burnt out.

He slid his hands up her thighs towards her rear, desperate to feel her ass in his grip. She grabbed his wrists and held them down above his head.

“No. You don't get to touch anything, especially my ass.”

“Please? You're already not even letting me see it. Can you at least take off your shirt and let me look at your perfect tits, sweetie?” Chris whimpered at the sight of them slightly bouncing above him, bra-less beneath her thermal shirt that was thin enough for him to see her hardened nipples, but just barely.

“ _No_. You can't touch or even look at any of it. Now shut the fuck up and just appreciate what you get.”

Within minutes she had cum, then again and again – while Chris struggled to hold back his own climax, gripping the sheets above his head tightly. As he started pushing his hips up into her, she suddenly stopped and grasped his throat. “Don't.”

“No?”

“No. I'm not done with you. You don't get to cum yet.”

Chris groaned as she resumed rocking her hips against him. “Fuck...you are such a bitch.”

Brianna smirked. “This is what you get, asshole. This is how you prove to me that you're mine – by letting me do whatever I want with your cock. It's _mine_...and so are you.”

“Yes, I am, sweetheart. I'm all yours.”

“If any other bitch _ever_ touches you like those whores did, I'll rip off her fucking face.”

Chris moaned, aroused even more intensely than he already was by her territorial dominance over him, and he couldn't help but smile proudly. “Good. I would expect you to defend your man – to defend _me_. I wish you were there last night, honey. I would have _loved_ to see you go after those fucking sluts.”

She gave him a small smile, then dug her nails into his chest and raked them down hard as she continued riding him. Chris grinned at the sensation of her marks being left on him.

When she came yet again, sweaty and breathless and flushed red all over, she slowed the movement of her hips down to an agonizing pace. He was teetering on the edge and desperate to finally reach his release.

“Please, sweetheart...just a little more. I'm almost there. Don't torture me like this,” he whimpered.

Brianna smirked devilishly. “No, I think I will. I might not even let you cum at all.”

Chris groaned in equal parts frustration and euphoria, barely able to restrain himself from disobeying her and thrusting into her the few more times he needed to finally climax.

He gasped as she moved up, pulling him nearly all the way out of her, then slowly slid back down until she had sheathed him entirely again. “God damn it, fuck...please, Bree. _Please_. Haven't you punished me enough? I've learned my lesson.”

“Have you?”

“Yes. I swear I'll never do it again. I'll never do anything to hurt you again, I promise. And I'm all yours... _only yours_.”

She smirked in satisfaction. “Alright, you can cum now.”

Chris pulled her down to kiss her hard, then thrust up into her just three times before spilling himself inside her, moaning loudly and gripping her hair tightly in both fists. When he felt his cum finally stop flowing and his breathing slowed down, he released his hold on her hair and stroked the side of her face as he gazed at her. There was a softness in her eyes that told him she had already forgiven him, and although he felt he didn't deserve it, he was overcome with relief and gratitude that he still had her love.

Brianna slowly dismounted his softening cock and fell back onto the bed. They laid beside each other in silence for several minutes, until Chris felt bold enough to touch her without permission. He grabbed her waist and pulled her against him, wrapping his arms tightly around her; she kissed him gently and leaned into his hold.

“I love you, Bree.”

“I love you too, Chris.”

“I'm so sorry I yelled at you.”

“It's okay,” she said quietly.

He sighed sadly. “No, it's not. I shouldn't have done that. I was a fucking asshole to you. Your stubbornness is frustrating sometimes, but I was pissed off at myself more than anything and taking it out on you. You didn't deserve it.”

“Yes, I did.” Her eyes welled up. “I'm sorry I threw my phone at you. That's so much worse than just yelling, and...I'm better than that. I wasn't even thinking. I was just so angry at you, but I shouldn't have tried to hurt you. You're the one who didn't deserve it.”

“I definitely deserved it. I shouldn't have lost my temper at you. I royally fucked up – not just last night, but also not appreciating you enough lately – and you were still so vulnerable from what happened at the restaurant last week, and...it's just not acceptable for me to yell at you like that. I wish I hadn't moved out of the way, because the least I deserved was getting smacked in the face by a phone.”

A few tears escaped her eyes. “I'm still so sorry. I promise I won't ever do it again.”

“And I promise I'll never raise my voice at you again.” Chris brushed away her tears, kissed her forehead, then chuckled. “This was bound to happen eventually when there's two Irish Geminis living under the same roof.”

Brianna giggled. “Especially with your Italian and my Scottish thrown in the mix too.”

“Exactly.” He laughed quietly, then sighed. “I guess we were overdue for our first fight anyway.”

“Yeah, we made it eight months without having one at all. We've barely even bickered at each other about the stupid petty shit that couples always get hung up on...wait, are we doing this right? Are we not fighting enough? Shouldn't we be completely miserable together, like normal couples are?” She grinned and nuzzled his beard as Chris laughed.

“I like being not normal with you,” he said.

“I like being not normal with you too,” she replied.

“I think it's a pretty good indication that quarrels will be few and far between for us.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Yes, they will be.” Brianna nestled her head against his chest and sighed in contentment as Chris gently rubbed her back.

A moment later, Dodger slowly crept into the room – his tailed tucked, ears flat against his head, and fear in his eyes. Chris sighed sadly. “Aw, Bubba...”

Brianna sat up and patted the bed. “Come here, Lovebug.”

He jumped onto the bed and shoved himself between them, whining softly and trembling. Chris and Brianna both stroked his back.

“It's okay, Dodge. Mom and Dad aren't fighting anymore,” Chris reassured him. “I know it got really loud and scary in here, I'm sorry about that.”

“I'm sorry too. Everything is okay now, Bubba. We got it out of the way and won't be doing that again.” Brianna kissed his snout.

“That's right – and Mom isn't going anywhere, so don't even start worrying that we're gonna break up. We still love each other very much.”

Dodger wagged his tail and licked each of their faces in turn, seemingly satisfied with their reassurances.

The three of them spent the next hour laying in bed, snuggled up together as they all dozed off for a nap. Dodger remained in his deep slumber as Chris and Brianna awoke at the same time, yawning and stretching.

Chris rubbed his pounding head and sighed. “Fuck, do we still have any weed?”

“Just the last joint I rolled, it's in the stash by the fireplace. Why?”

“I need to take a few hits before I look at my phone again and deal with this nightmare... _and_ my mom. She lurks online looking at what people say about me even more than my publicist does, so she's probably in the hospital right now from the heart attack I must have given her.”

Brianna laughed. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh, but you can't deny you kinda deserve having to deal with this mess.”

He rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Thanks, honey. That makes me feel very reassured and warm inside.”

“If it helps at all with the damage control, tell both of them that I knew you would be there and...” She sighed. “Just lie and say I'm fine with it. Make up some shit for the PR statement about how I support sex workers, or exotic dancers, or whatever they call themselves to believe they actually have some dignity.”

Chris laughed loudly, instinctively placing his hand on his chest. “You're terrible.”

“A terrible feminist, I know.” Brianna grinned. “Hey, if we're playing the PR game now, I might as well get some brownie points for looking like a super cool girlfriend.”

He laughed again. “You're not a super cool girlfriend, sweetie – you're a super cool _fiancee_.” He kissed her, then sat up in bed. “At the very least, I need to take a dozen more ibuprofen.”

“I'll get it for you.”

“No, it's okay. I'll just grab it on the way out.”

“Out?” She looked at him curiously.

“Yeah, let's get dressed and head into town so we can get your phone fixed.”

“It's just a cracked screen. I'm sure it still works fine. It's my own fault anyway, I'm the one who broke it with my psycho bitch meltdown.”

“I'm not gonna let my fiancee use a busted phone. I'm not a cheap asshole – just a dumb one.” Chris grinned at her. “Besides, your phone is so old it might as well have a rotary dial. It's time for you to get an upgrade.”

She laughed. “You're one to talk! Your phone is almost as old as mine.”

“Yeah, but I don't need a nicer one. You deserve to have only the best, and that's exactly what I'm gonna give you.” He kissed her tenderly.

Brianna giggled. “Can we also get burgers for dinner while we're out?”

“Oh God, are you trying to kill me?” Chris chuckled and sighed. “Yes, we can. My stomach might not make it through more than one bite though, before I have to eat some more of that delicious plain toast instead.”

“I'll happily make you more of my finest toast cuisine.” She kissed his cheek as they got out of bed.

“I'm gonna rinse off in the shower first, I know I still smell like someone dumped an ash tray on me.” Chris raised an eyebrow at her. “Care to join me?”

Brianna smirked, then slowly ran her hand down his bare abs, gently took hold of his cock, and started stroking him. “Nope,” she said before pulling her hand away as soon as he had grown completely hard.

He groaned. “I'm still in the doghouse?”

“No, I just feel like torturing you a little bit more...just because I can.” She grinned.

Chris sighed, then shook his head and laughed quietly. “Sometimes I can't decide if I love it or hate it when you're a tease. Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes.”

Brianna began to get dressed when he returned to the bedroom, freshly cleaned and jerked off. As he dressed himself in his usual lazy combination of a hoodie and sweatpants, Chris looked over to admire the view of Brianna pulling on an old sweatshirt – hiding the brief glance he caught of her bare breasts – followed by fleece leggings over her skimpy panties; he then caught sight of her left hand and naked ring finger.

“Sweetheart...where's your ring?” He asked nervously.

She smiled sadly, went to the nightstand, opened the drawer, and pulled out her ring. “I was just...I was so angry, and felt like this was nothing but a lie. I didn't even want to look at it.” She handed it to him.

He took the ring from her, a lump forming in his throat as he automatically assumed the worst – until she held out her left hand to him. Brianna gave him a bashful smile. “But I want to look at it again now.”

Chris smiled in relief and slid the diamond onto her finger. “It's not a lie, sweetie. I mean it when I say _you_ are the only one I want for the rest of my life.” He kissed the back of her hand, pulled her close to him, and wrapped his arms tightly around her. She nestled her head against his chest and gripped his back, digging her fingers into him as if she feared he would slip away from her.

“Do I have your trust again?” Chris asked quietly as he nuzzled the top of her head. “I don't deserve it at all, but...” His voice trailed off as tears filled his eyes.

Brianna looked up at him and kissed him tenderly. “Yes, you do deserve it.”

“I'll never break it again, and I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I promise.”

“I believe you. I trust you, and...I forgive you for everything.” Sadness and worry crossed her expression, and her eyes watered. “Do you forgive _me?”_

Chris smiled at her and gently held her face, his thumbs stroking away the stray tears falling from her eyes. “Yes. I've already forgiven you for this...and for anything else you could ever do to me.” He kissed her gently, nuzzling her nose with his as their lips parted.

Brianna smiled at him in joy and relief, and the tears in her eyes receded.

He wrapped her in a hug again and rocked her slowly from side to side; she rested her head against his chest and squeezed him as tight as her small arms could. “Well, now that that's all settled, what do you want to do for Valentine's Day next week? I had some ideas to surprise you, but you should pick instead. We'll do whatever you want.”

“Anything?”

“Yes. _Anything_ you want, sweetheart.” Chris smiled at her.

Brianna thought for a moment, then grinned. “I've got an idea.”

***

“If human babies looked like this, we'd have twenty of them,” Brianna said as she sipped the last of her blue milk and patted the head of a plush Baby Yoda.

Chris laughed as he readjusted the stuffed alien infant in his arms that he had bought for her at Galaxy's Edge. Per Brianna's request, they had escaped the bitter cold of Massachusetts for the week with a couple's trip to Disney World, celebrating their first Valentine's Day together under the warm sunny skies of the happiest place on Earth. Chris didn't need any convincing and happily agreed to her wishes, but despite his love for Disney he was exhausted after three days – yet Brianna's energy and excitement wouldn't let up. Although she was running him ragged like a parent chasing after a toddler on a sugar high, Chris still didn't want to be anywhere else in the world.

“Oh come on, you don't want to have twenty human babies like a good little Irish Catholic girl?” He grinned at her.

“Hell no. I like kids, but three _at most_ is still our agreement, and that's not going to change.”

He placed a tender kiss on her cheek. “I know, I don't want us to be completely miserable with too many kids running around either. I'm just giving you a hard time.”

Brianna grinned, grabbed the brim of his baseball hat and yanked it off, then removed the dainty crystal tiara adorning her French-braided pigtails and placed it on top of his head. “Now I'm gonna give _you_ a hard time and make you wear that for the rest of the day,” she said as she pulled his Patriots hat down on her head.

Chris sighed in exasperation, then chuckled. “Alright. It is Valentine's Day after all, and I did say you can have whatever you want on this trip.”

“Thank you, babe.” She smiled and gave him a peck on the lips. He leaned into her left hand as she held the sides of his face and stroked his beard; her ring finger was bare again, still hiding their relationship's precious secret.

“Can we at least get out of here now and go to a different park? I think I've had enough of this sci-fi franchise for one day,” Chris said, then kissed the palm of her hand.

“Star Wars isn't sci-fi, it's a space opera. We've been over this before, meatball.” Brianna grinned as he sighed and rolled his eyes. “Okay, but only if we can come back later and go on the Millennium Falcon.”

“ _Again?_ We've already been on it three times.”

“Yes! It's Valentine's Day _and_ my first vacation at Disney World. You know I only ever went to Disneyland once when I was so little I can only remember half of it, so I'm holding you to that promise of us doing whatever I want this week.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

“You're such a brat sometimes.” Chris laughed, then gazed at her adoringly, getting lost in her green and hazel eyes for what felt like ages. “I love you.”

Brianna smiled brightly at him. “I know.”

“Um...I'm sorry to bother you, but...” A shy female voice spoke from behind Chris. He turned around to find a teenage girl and a boy not more than a few years old staring at him, nervous smiles on both of their faces. “I just wanted to ask if I could take a picture of you and my little brother here. He saw you and just about had a meltdown. He _loves_ Captain America.”

Chris smiled at the boy, then looked at Brianna smiling back at him. “Of course he will,” she told the girl.

“As long as you don't mind me looking super silly wearing this tiara. I've got strict orders to protect it all day,” Chris said as he passed the Baby Yoda to Brianna, then knelt down and opened his arms to the young boy.

Brianna's heart swelled at the sight of the boy smiling in amazement – unable to speak from the shock of getting to meet his hero – and at Chris happily giving him a hug as the girl snapped their photo.

“Thank you, Cap!” The boy squeaked before running to hide behind his older sister.

“You got it, pal.” Chris smiled at the pair of siblings.

“You forgot to ask for her autograph,” the girl told her brother as she pointed to Brianna.

“What?” She looked at them in confusion.

“He thinks you're Belle. He has one of those autograph books for all the characters to sign, and he wanted to ask you to sign it too.”

Brianna smiled at the little boy. “I'm sorry to say I'm not Belle. I'm just Brianna, but you can still have my autograph if you want.”

She knelt down as he shyly walked forward again, handed her the book with a marker, and opened it to a random page that had been signed by Tigger and Winnie the Pooh. Brianna wrote her name in cursive in a blank corner.

“There you go, buddy,” she said as she gave the book back to him. He smiled brightly at her, then wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

“Thank you, Princess Brianna,” he said before running back to his sister again.

“You're very welcome,” she replied as Chris held out his hand and helped her up from the ground, grinning at her the entire time.

“I totally ship you guys!” The girl blurted out as Chris and Brianna began to turn away. She laughed nervously. “I'm sorry, I know that's a weird thing to say. I just...I think you're a cute couple, and you're really beautiful and sweet, Brianna. I'm happy for you both. I hope you're together forever. Anyway, uh...bye! Thank you!” She grabbed her brother's hand – who waved excitedly at them over his shoulder – and left them in peace.

They both smiled and waved goodbye to the siblings. “Well, that was one of the sweetest things I've ever experienced,” Brianna said. “That must be the type of encounter that makes all the craziness worth it.”

“Yeah, it definitely is.” Chris smiled as he wrapped his arms around her.

“So now that we know it won't be all bad losing some privacy, do you still want to quit your job?”

He chuckled and sighed. “No, I guess not.”

She giggled. “I knew you love it too much to ever leave it for good.”

“Some day I will, but for now, I think I'll just keep changing my mind about it every week.” Chris grinned, then kissed her forehead. “I guess there is a happy middle ground for us going public after all. Maybe it won't be too bad.”

She grabbed the sides of his face and gave him a long, slow, deep kiss as the crowd around them continued passing by. Nobody seemed to notice the two of them locking lips out in public, in broad daylight – but even if they had, neither Chris nor Brianna could have cared less.

“It won't be too bad at all. Everything always works out in the end...otherwise it wouldn't be a fairy tale.” Brianna grinned at him. “Now come on, let's get out of here. I want to go on Space Mountain again, and I think the stormtroopers are going to kick us out soon anyway.”

Chris smiled brightly. “Alright, then we're off to Tomorrowland. Let's head to the future, sweetie.”


End file.
